


The Duality of a Man

by datboii



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ambiguous Relationships, Domestic Fluff, Enemies to Friends, F/M, Fluff, make ben solo awkward and clumsy you cowards, this is just a self indulgent fic where i want to make awkward ben solo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-09
Updated: 2018-04-09
Packaged: 2019-04-20 17:40:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14266242
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/datboii/pseuds/datboii
Summary: Kylo Ren might be public enemy #1, but Ben Solo is another story.





	The Duality of a Man

**Author's Note:**

> IM NOT DEAD GUYS ITS A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE  
> jk im p much dead inside and college had been sucking out every bit of joy in me, but hey what's new
> 
> anyway IM SUPER DUPER SORRY for not updating my other fics for a while! I promise i'll get back to it soon, considering holidays are just around the corner. i made this fic to practice my writing again because im already p rusty, and that ive just been itching to write something for a while so.. hope it aint too bad lol

It was a public secret that Kylo Ren posed as a nightmare to 90% of the population. The calculation might be slightly off, but Rey was pretty sure it hit close to that number.

It didn’t help that he had a staggering 6’3 height which sort of gave him the advantage to loom over most people, broad shoulders to add more dimension to said looming, and a semi-permanent scowl on his sculpted and angular face. Rey always told him if he kept that on all day, he’ll have wrinkles by the age of 40, which would just deepen his scowl.

Not to mention his famous tantrums. He kind of mellowed out over the years, but the damage those tantrums caused out-weights anything else he did. She wasn’t surprised at all honestly, since she has seen her fair share of his tantrums.

Plus, he’s kind of an asshole.

Okay, he’s a total asshole, but Rey liked to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Because.. Well, they’re friends. Sort of. She wasn’t really sure what spectrum they were in at this point.

So Kylo Ren’s an asshole. A scary, angry one, but an asshole nonetheless.

But she honestly can’t imagine anyone getting intimidated by Ben Solo.

She can’t picture anyone being scared by a man who constantly hits himself on furnitures when he just woke up because he’s ridiculously big and don’t seem to have any coordination of his own body.

She can’t picture anyone being scared by a man who makes pancakes for breakfast and burning himself while cooking.

She can’t picture anyone being scared by a man who curses loudly whenever he gets shampoo in his eyes.

She can’t picture anyone being scared by a man who ties his hair back to a ridiculous small bun whenever he’s working because his hair gets to his eyes and no he doesn’t want to cut it.

Kylo Ren might be all stiff and uptight with an unhealthy obsession of order and precision, but Ben Solo is anything but.

She liked thinking about this stuff whenever she’s on the kitchen island, textbooks opened all around her as she watched him sleepily make coffee.

“You got home late last night,” Rey said in to the silence, the smell of coffee wafting in the air.

“Yeah, had to do some overtime,” he answered with a loud yawn. Rey hid a smile under her hand. “I don’t know who hired half of the employees in there. None can make a decent report.”

“Your standards are just too high.”

“No, it’s the basic standard the company has if it wants to keep everything in the best quality.” He said with that scowl, the one where his bottom lip is slightly jutting out. Rey privately thought it looked more like a pout.

Ben worked at some high end company called the First Order. He has a rank high enough to have a say on what goes in the company, but apparently his employees were insufferable. He’d usually come home with a deep frown, stomping his way in to the flat they share and slamming the door shut, stomping some more before plopping down on the couch with his head in her lap.

“I hate my job,” he had said as she brushed her fingers through his hair.

“It pays for our coffees and take outs,” she reminded him.

Ben grunted against her jean clad thigh, before falling into deep slumber.

She was still in college, but watching him get home with bags under his eyes and leaving the next morning with the same bags under his eyes kind of made her anxious about her life after she graduates.

They have a whopping age difference of 9 years, which would usually make people question why and how are they friends in the first place. Usually she’d tell them to mind their own business, while he’d silently glower from the side.

They grew up in the same neighborhood. Rey had just moved in with her foster parents when she noticed a brooding, lanky teenager who were more legs and hands than anything, really.

He liked to seat alone by the curb, or in one of the benches in the park not too far from her house. He was always alone.

They didn’t get along at first. Ben was all teenage angst and anger, and she was all curious and bullheaded. They clashed heads more than once.

But once they actually grew up and try to be less of an asshole to each other, they actually realized how much they had in common, and how well they could get along. They don’t always talk per say, but comfortable silences has always been their thing.

His family was welcoming, almost too welcoming. Leia and Han hovered by her side constantly while Ben would glower from the other side (it’s kind of his thing). Luke would sometimes visit, as well as Chewie, and she have never seen a man that hairy.

She knew what happened to them and Ben. The anger, misunderstanding, estrangement. She tried not to be biased by the whole thing. Although she sometime wondered how a family so wonderful could have been through a mess like that.

“Water under the bridge,” Ben said, one day when she mentioned it. “It’s all in the past, let it die there.”

So she never mentioned it anymore, and judging how less reluctant Ben was to visit his parents (at least three times in a year, which was an improvement), things seem to work out fine.

“Leia called,” she mentioned one morning, with Ben puttering around in the kitchen to make breakfast. “Asked if we’re still going to visit them this weekend.”

Ben paused, eyebrows scrunched up in thought. Rey had the urge to smooth it out with her thumb.

“Is Luke coming?”

“Yup.”

Ben continued his puttering and answered, “I’ll think about it.” Which usually translates to “no” in Ben-Speak. She’s getting rather fluent these past few years.

Apparently the Solo family drama branches off in to a Solo-Skywalker drama, since Luke was also involved in the whole ordeal. While things were looking great between Ben and his parents, things were more complicated between Luke and Ben. She’d rather not dabble in to it, honestly speaking.

He put the plate of scrambled eggs and slightly burnt toasts in front of her, sitting across from her with his own plate and a steaming mug of coffee.

He looked at her silently as he took a sip from his mug, setting it down on the table when he was done. His eyebrows were scrunched up again, and he looked sort of frustrated.

“Do you.. want to go?”

Rey blinked, mouth pressed to her glass of orange juice. She took a thoughtful gulp, deliberately slow just to see Ben squirm while waiting for her answer.

“You know I love your family,” she answered honestly, to which Ben nodded stiffly. “But I wouldn’t go back without you. It just won’t feel right.”

The slight tension on Ben’s shoulders subsided, and he finally poked his scrambled eggs with his fork.

 

“Are you coming home late tonight?” Rey asked as she put the dishes on the sink. She’ll do it after her class.

“Not sure,” Ben answered as he buttoned up his sleeve. “I’m planning on finishing up early, but don’t wait up for me just in case.”

“Alright.” Rey walked over to where he was shrugging his jacket on, and straightened his tie. Ben looked down, silently watching her as she fidgeted with his tie.

“I’m heating up the pasta, just so you know.”

“Ah, yes. Leftover take outs, what a feast I’ll miss.” He answered drily.

Rey grinned, patting down the tie she deemed appropriate. She looked up at the small smile Ben had on.

She felt the urge to tug on his tie, to see if he’d go willingly down with it.

“Don’t you have class?” He asked when none of them made any move to pull away.

“Oh, right.”

Ben huffed, and Rey’s grin widened.

From two lonely people, too stunted to communicate with each other like a normal person, to this. She wasn’t sure what _this_ was though, all that mattered was that it was nice, and felt right.

It was Ben who stepped away first, and she let the tie slowly slip from her fingers.

“Have a good day, _Kylo._ ”

He rolled his eyes, but the slight quirk on his lips stayed until he got out the door.

So Kylo Ren was probably a public menace, but Ben Solo wasn’t. Not to her anyway.

 

**Author's Note:**

> reylo has me OBSESSED ive been wanting to write more of this two. ive actually wrote another part of this story about their past, so im probs thinking of adding another chapter to this fic, but hey tell me what you guys think! kudos/comments are highly appreciated


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